UPDATE - Bangladesh recovers bodies of 36 refugees trying to flee Myanmar through border river

UPDATES DEATH TOLL IN HEADLINE, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh has recovered bodies of at least 36 refugees fleeing Myanmar through the border river along southeastern Teknaf town, according to officials on Thursday.

It comes amid escalating conflicts between military junta in Myanmar and rebel groups.

The bodies were recovered Thursday after two boats sank late Monday, Teknaf town chief executive officer Md. Adnan Chowdhury told Anadolu, with at least 13 women and 15 children among the dead.

Md Shamsud Douza, additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner in southeast Cox's Bazar district, told Anadolu that officials have informed the Border Guard Bangladesh and Coast Guard to rescue survivors and retrieve bodies.

He feared the number of dead may be much more than reported.

Two boats carrying fleeing Rohingya capsized as they tried to cross the transboundary Naf River in high waves and storms.

One of the boats was carrying about 25 refugees while the other had 29.

Conflicts in the Maungdaw township of Myanmar's Rakhine state have been pushing Rohingya to the southeastern Cox’s Bazar district where 1.2 million Rohingya have been taking shelter since August 2017 after fleeing a military crackdown.

Mohammad Nur Hashem, a Rohingya Majhi or community leader in the Cox's Bazar Rohingya camp, told Anadolu on Thursday that Rohingya have been trying to cross into Bangladesh by boats at night through several points along the Teknaf border as the conflict between the Arakan Army and the junta escalates.

He said more than 1,200 people gathered along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border as the conflict intensifies while over 200 were killed in recent weeks in Rakhine state.